Heretofore, when transferring products, such as cans of food from one endless conveyor to another, a fixed, flat metal plate has been provided to fill the gap between the discharge end of one conveyor and the feed end of the other conveyor. This method of transfer is commonly known as "marshalling a product", wherein cans of food conveyed from the discharge end of one conveyor abut previously conveyed cans on the metal plate. These cans are eventually pushed across the fixed plate until pulled away from the plate by the infeed end of the other conveyor. While this type of transfer method might be acceptable for packaged products, it is not satisfactory for the transfer of unpackaged food products such as crackers, cookies, and cakes which require a smooth, continuous, uninterrupted transfer from one endless conveyor to another.
After considerable research and experimentation, the transfer conveyor of the present invention 1has been devised for use particularly in the food industry for transferring unpackaged products from one conveyor to another and which is also constructed and arranged to be quickly and easily disassembled for cleaning or the replacement of a conveyor belt.